You may have noticed in recent years that anal play has been a little more glam than usual, thanks to the ever-increasing popularity of the bejeweled butt plug. More and more porn stars, OnlyFans creators and non-professional sex-havers seem to be investing in plugs adorned with sparkling diamonds, glistening gemstones or even Swarovski crystals, all of which add a luxurious gleam to the body’s more southerly regions. As they don’t differ too much from traditional butt plugs in their size, shape or, er, special effects, it seems their appeal lies primarily in their beauty. “The jewel plugs are sexiest,” opines redditor Successful-Bid-6800. “They look the best.”
And, to be fair, they do. You can buy baby pink heart-shaped ones, get jewels of any color in the rainbow, pop in a plug shaped like a flower or treat yourself with iridescent plugs with a matching jewel on the end — you name a color or style of jewel, and it probably exists.
“People love anything unusual on the base of a butt plug,” says Zoë Ligon, the founder of the sex-positive toy shop Spectrum Boutique. “The appeal is definitely visual. They’re not for any particular experience level, since the shape of the plug can be just about anything — but whether you’re having a sexy encounter IRL, or showing off your butthole on a cam stream or adult creator site, people love how they’re eye-catching and far prettier than a standard toy base.”
The cute-ified look of bejeweled butt plugs has also encouraged more beginners to get into anal, with adult creator Hazel Bunni describing them as “an easy tool for something that might not be easy for a lot of people.” Hazel says jewel plugs are “super popular among sex workers,” explaining that she started using hers a couple of years ago when she “needed more interesting things to do for content.” Truth be told, many online sex workers chose jeweled plugs over plainer options because they’re more visually stimulating for fans, who often tip performers to use them.
Ligon says she can’t recall exactly when these types of butt plugs rose to popularity, but says she does see them more often now than when she entered the industry in 2013. “These days there are high-tech vibrating ones with the gem embedded into the material,” she explains. “Previously, I’d just see something that looked more like a plastic gem glued to a toy’s base. My hunch is that manufacturers were previously making plugs like this in a fashion that wasn’t body-safe (i.e., chrome-plated metal plugs with jewels), and as more companies made body-safe and inexpensive ones, they became more appealing to consumers.”
It seems that, even since they became a staple for chic-looking sex, some of these butt plugs still aren’t body-safe, with many people taking to social media to warn others about their possible dangers. “For the love of god, be careful with these,” Irish OnlyFans creator Megan recently wrote on Twitter about a bejeweled butt plug from British sex toy retailer Lovehoney. “I now know three people hospitalized over them, and had to get them surgically removed. Always make sure the base is wider than the part you insert, or use a flared base.”
Another OnlyFans creator, Aliysha Black, replied: “No joke, this time last year one went up inside me and got stuck. Thankfully I got it out and haven’t used it since. No more sex toys off Amazon!” (It’s worth noting here that not all jewel butt plugs will do this — as Megan noted, it’s just the ones where the base isn’t wide enough.)
As well as making a note of the base size, Ligon advises staying away from plugs with thin, flimsy bases (usually, these are made of softer materials). “I’ve heard of instances where the gem came off, and what remained of the base was very soft and not anal-safe,” she explains. “Also, it’s important not to boil these plugs [because of the glue in them] — other solid plugs made from silicone can be boiled, but unless the plug explicitly says it’s boilable, just clean it with soap and water.”
So you can be totally secure in your purchase, Ligon has some bejeweled butt plug recommendations, including b-Vibe’s Jewel Plug (which also comes in a larger size); the Happy Rabbit Interchangeable Plug (which also comes with a puffy rabbit tail attachment); or Crystal Delights’ Sparkle Plug (which has gems inside, and also has a glow-in-the-dark version, a solid version and even a Hello Kitty one).
Not quite Tiffany’s, but it’ll do.
Brit Dawson
Brit Dawson is a London-based journalist who mostly writes about sex, women's rights and sex work. She is also the staff writer at Dazed.
